This Regulation organises the collection on a comparable basis of statistical data on the carriage of goods on vehicles registered in the European Union with a view to the establishment of an integrated system providing reliable, compatible and up-to-date data.

ACT

Council Regulation (EC) No 1172/98 of 25 May 1998 on statistical returns in respect of carriage of goods by road. [See amending acts].

SUMMARY

The Regulation is intended to supplement the current production of statistical data on the carriage of goods by road.

The Member States are to compile Community statistics on the carriage of goods by road by means of goods road motor vehicles registered in a Member State, and on the journeys made by such vehicles.

The Regulation does not apply to carriage of goods by road by means of:

goods road motor vehicles whose permitted weight or dimensions exceed the normal permitted limits in the Member States concerned.

agricultural vehicles, military vehicles, and vehicles used by central governments and public services, with the exception of goods road motor vehicles used by the railway administration.

The Member States may exclude from the field of application of the proposal goods road motor vehicles:

whose load capacity is less than 3.5 tonnes;or

whose maximum permissible laden weight is less than 6 tonnes.

The Member States are to collect:

vehicle-related data ;

journey-related data ;

goods-related data.

The statistical variables in each domain, their definition and the levels within the classification used for their breakdown are set out in the annexes.

The methods for the collection of data are to ensure that the statistical results meet minimum standards of accuracy determined by the Commission.

Member States are to process the information collected in such a way as to obtain comparable statistics.

Member States are to transmit to Eurostat the data as well as the prepared statistical tables within five months of the end of each quarterly period of observation.

The Member States are to communicate:

a detailed report on the methods used in compiling data;

information on sample sizes, non-response rates, and the reliability of the results;

After three years, the Commission is to transmit a report to the Council and to the European Parliament.

During the first three years of implementation of the statistical returns the Member States are to receive financial assistance from the Community, subject to the availability of appropriations.

The proposal also describes the procedure for:

the dissemination of results ;

determining the arrangements for implementation.

The Statistical Programme Committee assists the Commission.

The Member States give the results for the years 1997 and 1998 to comply with Directive 78/546/EEC. This was repealed as of 1 January 1999.

Regulation 2691/1999 establishes a new consolidation procedure for international transport by Country.